Is knowledge about God important to you? Try this Bible study.

You may have heard it said “what you don’t know can’t hurt you.” Well what you don’t know certainly can’t help you either! In the Word says that it is through knowledge that we can experience and even have multiplied to us grace and peace.  Through knowledge, we can receive everything that pertains to life and godliness. That goes for our spiritual life as well as our physical lives.

We arm ourselves by knowing Jesus personally. As we grow in the knowledge of who we are in Christ we understand the authority we have been given through the cross.  This knowledge informs the way we pray and what we pray about.

Growing in the knowledge of God’s plan for us personally, and the knowledge of our Fathers total and unconditional love for us, gives us hope for the future.   As we learn more of who God is we are able to walk in greater peace and power, and be more effective in executing the work of the Kingdom on earth.

Knowledge IS power! The Word of God is the source of that knowledge and power.  Drink in deeply and be armed up to walk life out with victory and joy every day.

“Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure” (Isaiah 33:6, NKJV).

Questions: Is God at work in your life? Tell us about it.

About the Author Emmie Stanley

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” 2 Peter 1:2-3 (NKJV)

You may have heard it said “what you don’t know can’t hurt you.” Well what you don’t know certainly can’t help you either! In fact the Word says that It is through knowledge that we can experience and even have multiplied to us grace and peace, and whereby we can receive everything that pertains to life and godliness. That is for our spiritual life as well as our physical lives.

Knowing Jesus personally and everything He has made available to us is how we “arm” ourselves. As we grow in the knowledge of who we are in Christ, the knowledge of the authority we have been given through the cross, the knowledge of how to use our spiritual weapons, the knowledge of His plan for us personally, and the knowledge of our Fathers total and unconditional love for us, we are able to walk in greater, and growing, peace and power, and be more effective in executing the work of the Kingdom on earth.  Knowledge IS power! The Word of God is the source of that knowledge and power, drink in deeply and be armed up to walk life out with victory and joy every day.

“Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.” Isaiah 33:6 (NKJV)

Question: How has your reading (the Bible and other books) been lately? How can you try to find ways to integrate reading into your daily routine?

About this Author: Emmie Stanley

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD , you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:11-12

The Scriptures are full of verses that tell us to enjoy our relationship with the Lord. So why don’t we take delight in Him on a consistent basis? It could be because of our …

Lack of knowledge. We cannot know God until we enter into a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Once we become children of God, we learn from His Word what kind of Father He is. He does not look at us through a set of rules or search for ways to punish us for our mistakes. (Romans 8:1) Instead, He watches over us tenderly and cares for us when we fall.

Fear of God. Fear will keep us from experiencing joy in our union with God. When the Scriptures tell us to fear the Lord, it means to honor Him as the One who rescued us, placed us in His family, and securely holds our future in His hands. Satan wants us to be afraid of God so we will hold back in our relationship with Him. However, we need not be frightened of our heavenly Father, for He loves us unconditionally.

Sin. When we sin against God, our fellowship with Him is broken. Our spiritual Enemy wants to keep us feeling guilty so we will stay away from our Father. But God has said that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us and restore our intimacy with Him. (1 John 1:9)

Question: When we really enjoy someone, we find ourselves slow to leave that person’s presence; we will look for excuses to linger. Does this describe your relationship with your heavenly Father?

About this Author: Charles Stanley

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

I love the Bible. It’s God’s Word, our ultimate source of truth. It contains not only the grand story of the beginning of time and space and our Earth, but also the intimate story of God’s people, and the glorious coming of God’s Son Jesus Christ for our salvation.

But even so, I find that there are times in my life when my daily Bible reading becomes merely routine, if I happen to do it at all. In fact, sometimes I wonder about the Bible: Couldn’t God have given us a more efficient manual? What I mean is, it sometimes seems so complicated. Did you know that the Bible has 66 books, containing 1,189 chapters and 31,170 verses? Instead of 17 major and minor prophets, for example, maybe we could have been given a list of the top 10 marriage tips instead?

Then I think: God didn’t want to give us the kind of book that you read once and put on the shelf. He wasn’t interested in giving us a pamphlet. God wanted to give us something that would engage us and continue to challenge us for a lifetime. He, in His infinite wisdom, gave us a book that was so deep that we could read it every hour of every day of our entire lives and still not exhaust its wisdom.

If you’ve spent any serious amount of time reading the Bible you can probably attest to how you’ve read a passage a dozen or more times before, but somehow this time, it hits you in a totally new way as God illuminates your mind to deeper meaning and fuller understanding. “How did I not see it before?” you think. And it’s so amazing how deep this book is!

God Himself is like that: Our great God isn’t someone of whom you could say, “Oh, God? Yeah, I met him once, I think.” God is so amazingly great that it’s a lifelong process to know Him. He wants us not to just know ABOUT Him, but to know Him intimately. And for that, a simple pamphlet won’t do.

God, we thank you for your Word, the wisdom of which can never be exhausted!

Question: How has your Bible reading been lately? Is it time to begin to re-read it with “new eyes”?

About this Author: Darren Hewer

Please open your Bible and read Psalm 8.

When we stop and think about the majestic God who created us, and meditate on who this God is, does it fill us with an amazed sense of awe? Or, as the title of a famous book says, is our conception of God “too small”?

Nicky Gumbel gives us a pertinent illustration. There once was a child sitting at the table drawing a picture. Her mother asked her what she was doing. She replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” Her mother said, “Don’t be silly, no one knows what God looks like.” The child thought for a moment, then replied, “Well, they will know by the time I’ve finished!”

We do this, don’t we? We come up with our own conception of how we think God is. Although we are actually made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we often want to try to suggest the opposite: We try to remake God in OUR own image. We futily try to make God fit into our preconceived notions of how He “should” be.

But when we decide what God is like based on our own preconceptions, what we end up with is a “god” that is just like me. We end up with a tame god. A “god” that never disagrees with me, never challenges me to excel, never tells me that I’m wrong. But this is also a god who is “too small” … lifeless, powerless, and totally unlike the God we know from the Bible! This tame God is not the one who created you and I and the heavens and the Earth.

Even lifelong Christians can become complacent in their ideas about what God is like. For example, I have encountered God, but am I encountering God? God is greater, grander, more amazing than we will ever fully comprehend. R. C. Sproul writes that “People are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.”

The question is: Are you encountering God or admiring yourself? Have you been seeking to know who God really is? Or have you been admiring yourself in the mirror?

Can you pray along with the Psalmist, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9) and ask Him to show you a small glimpse of His greatness today as you seek to encounter Him?

Question: Have you been encountering God or admiring yourself?

About this Author: Darren Hewer

“Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other.” (Colossians 3:16a NLT)

Mission — Every day you teach people about God. You may teach Truth or you may teach mythology; either way you teach. You teach others that God is faithful or that he can’t be trusted, and you do that by reflecting faith in God, or by behaving as if he can’t be trusted.

As if.

Some of us carry a myth in our minds that the only people who can teach are the gifted or the professional, yet the Apostle Paul says, “I know that you have all the knowledge you need and that you are able to teach each other.” (Romans 15:14b NCV)

Certainly teaching includes unpacking Bible stories and giving theological insight, but we also teach as we model biblical behavior when it comes to the stuff of life, such as how to love/respect your spouse, how to make godly decisions, how to keep our thought-life pure, or how to get out of debt.

That means we become teachers when we tell, show, reflect how God is working in our lives, and we become teachers when we respond, act, walk as if Jesus himself were living through us (and he is – Romans 8:9-11). By watching you, others will see what “Christ in you” looks like in another human being. (Colossians 1:27 NIV)

So what?

· Being a living teacher makes you wise – Paul says, “Let the words of Christ live in your heart.” You need to know God’s Word before you can teach it through study or by living it. By hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the words of Christ, they’ll take root in your heart, and this will make you wise. (Romans 15:14b NCV)

· God’s wisdom over conventional wisdom – Too often we look to the world’s conventional wisdom when we’re seeking answers, yet the Truth is found only in God’s wisdom.

Question: What wisdom has the Lord blessed you with that you can share with others?

About this Author: Jon Walker

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” (Philippians 3:8, 9)

In these verses Paul passionately proclaims that his overarching purpose, his only desire, is to know Jesus.

More important than his good name, his family heritage, his impressive education, his religious zeal or his good works, is his yearning for his Messiah.

His life’s goal is to gain Christ and be found in Him.

I remember when I was dating my husband, over twenty years ago, how we would spend hours and hours talking. My life was organized around spending every possible minute with him. I wonder if that gives us a glimpse of the desire with which Paul pursued Jesus.

Knowing Christ isn’t a part-time hobby, merely the spiritual side of our multi-faceted lives or a passing fad. We need to pour all of our energy into seeking Jesus Christ as the only way to know God. Like Paul, we need to seek a righteousness that we can’t produce on our own, but can only discover through faith in Jesus.

God, I want to be passionate for you the way that Paul was. I want everything in my life to be worthless to me in comparison with knowing Christ. I want to gain Jesus, my Messiah, and be found in Him. I want the righteousness that only You can give.

Questions: What keeps you from making Christ your passion? What do you need to surrender (consider worthless) in order to make knowing Christ your only goal?

About this Author: Suzanne Benner

Spirituality is a popular subject these days. Whole stores are filled with books and various gadgets that are sold to help one get in touch spiritually. There is just so much out there and at times one can feel confused about it all.

In these days of growing awareness in the spiritual and the supernatural, God gives us guidance as to what to watch for. He tells us how to grow in our spiritual life without confusion. He spells it out for us quite simply:

“Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, NIV).

True spirituality moves you toward knowledge of Jesus as the Influencer of your heart. If something or someone other than Jesus takes front and center stage in your search for spirituality, be on guard. Guard your heart from merely knowledge of religious facts or focusing on special powers or energy. True spirituality is allowing Jesus’ influence on your heart to reflect change in the way you handle yourself. It is His power at work in you.

If you desire to develop spiritually, allow Jesus to influence your heart and your choices in a greater way today. Allow His influence to cause you to turn from the choices that exclude Him, and to accept His forgiveness. Ask for His wisdom to help you determine if a particular activity or source of information will increase your understanding of how Jesus can influence your heart and your life. Anything less is a cheap counterfeit.

Father God, there is so much out there today on spirituality. Please help me to grow in my knowledge of Jesus and His strength in my life as my Savior. Help me to grow in allowing Your influence upon my heart in such a way that it changes how I live. Forgive me for the times when I have focused on spirituality that was not centered on Jesus. Help me to be discerning and wise as I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. In His strong name I pray, amen.

Questions: How will you allow Jesus to influence your heart and your choices in a greater way today? Do you know what it means to live a spirit-filled life? Let’s talk about it.

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Please open your Bible and read: Colossians 1:9-14.

The most powerful act anyone can perform is to pray for someone. Of course, the power is not in the praying, but in the release God gives in His perfect answer to our prayers. Paul provides an example of one of the most effective prayers we could utter. He prays that the Colossian church:

– May be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. What a wonderful gesture to ask God to make clear for family members or friends the precise, exact decisions He wishes them to make in every circumstance.

– May walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. This means asking that someone’s life will have weight – will count eternally and not temporally.

– May bear fruit in every good work. We should pray for loved ones to remain so Christ – centered that He through them determines their conversation, conduct, and character.

– May increase in the knowledge of God. Can there be a more precious request than that of wanting someone to grow ever closer to our heavenly Father?

– May be strengthened and sustained with the power of God. Within an evil world system, we need the supernatural power of God to help us bear up under the strain.

– May give thanks that we already have qualified as saints of God. There is nothing for which we should be more appreciative.

Question: Which of these prayers resonates most with you today?

About this Author: Charles Stanley

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

Peter’s powerful statement of belief came when many people didn’t know what to make of Jesus. Some thought Jesus was Elijah or another of the prophets who had come back to life or perhaps even John the Baptist.

By acknowledging that he believed Jesus was the Messiah – the one sent by God to save them – Peter stood alone. It was no small proclamation. In the midst of a religious community who were anticipating the promised deliverer, Peter declared that Jesus was the one for whom they’d been waiting.

Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, there was only one other person who spoke definitely about who Jesus was – a woman named Martha.  Her statement to Jesus after her brother Lazarus had died stands as a memorial to her faith. “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” (John 11:27)

Like Peter and Martha, each of us are asked “Who is Jesus?”

The question may come in our thoughts as we read God’s Word and are challenged to take a step of faith and declare that we believe the Bible to be true.  It may come verbally from a neighbor, a friend or a family member who wants to know why we live the way we do.  The question may come indirectly, by those who watch our behavior to see if it lines up with the words we speak.

Answering the question of who we believe Jesus to be, is our purpose in life – to testify that Jesus is God’s son, the one who came to save us, the way to God.

May we, like Peter and Martha, unequivocally proclaim that Jesus is Lord.

Questions: How does your life testify to who God is? How does knowing it is God’s purpose for you to proclaim Him give direction to your life?

About this Author: Suzanne Benner